Rohrabacher: Oust Boehner if he pushes through immigration – 170 turn out for inaugural Huddle Happy Hour – Who’s the wealthiest in leadership? – Doctor/aide saves Poe’s life – All eyes on Schweitzer

By Scott Wong

06/18/13 09:32 AM EDT

ROHRABACHER: BOEHNER SHOULD BE ‘REMOVED’ IF HE PUSHES THROUGH IMMIGRATION BILL – POLITICO’s Rebecca Elliott reports: “Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) says Speaker John Boehner should be ousted if he rams through an immigration bill without majority Republican support. ‘If Speaker Boehner moves forward and permits this to come to a vote even though the majority of the Republicans in the House—and that’s if they do—oppose whatever it is that’s coming to a vote, he should be removed as Speaker,’ Rohrabacher said on World Net Daily radio on Monday. Rohrabacher was responding to Boehner’s assertion that immigration reform is at the top of his legislative agenda and his suggestion in an interview with ABC last week in which he would not rule out pushing a bill through without the support of a majority of his party, a violation of the so-called ‘Hastert rule.’ ‘I would consider that a betrayal of the Republican members of the House and a betrayal of the Republicans throughout the country,’ Rohrabacher said.

-- “The Washington Examiner reported Sunday that Boehner has decided he will not call a vote without his party’s backing. … He also attacked the immigration bill’s supporters, saying ‘those people pushing this bill are doing it in the most deceptive and dishonest way.’ Number one on Rohrabacher’s list is Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), whom he accused of using ‘weasel words’ in a bid for reform. ‘Rubio is so mixed up and so confused. I think he has given up his rightful place to advise any of us in Washington what to do and…he’s given up any right to be trusted by the American people,’ Rohrabacher said.” http://politi.co/13XzZ4y

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-- ROHRABACHER’S REMARKS come at a crucial moment for immigration reform. “The Republican-led House will take its deepest dive yet into immigration reform this week, rushing to play catchup with the Senate on the chief domestic policy battle this year,” POLITICO’s Seung Min Kim reports. “The House bipartisan group, which has labored for four years without releasing anything, is finally on the verge of producing a bill. The House Judiciary Committee is holding its first immigration markup on Tuesday on an enforcement-centered bill that Democrats abhor. And the all-Democratic Congressional Hispanic Caucus will huddle with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday, and immigration will undoubtedly be a hot topic. …

-- “The dual-track approach could signal actual momentum on House immigration reform, which so far has lagged considerably behind efforts on the other side of the Capitol. The Senate is considering the bipartisan Gang of Eight bill on the floor and may vote on it before the July 4th recess.” http://politi.co/15eye2j

-- BUT IMMIGRATION FOE AND ‘ELFIN ALABAMIAN,’ SEN. JEFF SESSIONS, SAYS THE BILL IS DEAD – The New York Times’ Jonathan Weisman: “Senator Jeff Sessions, an elfin Alabamian with a mischievous smile and a relentless approach to legislative battle, has a theory about the sweeping immigration bill pending in the Senate: It’s as good as dead. ‘The longer it lays in the sun, the more it smells, as they say about the mackerel,’ said Mr. Sessions, the Republican enthusiastically leading the opposition to a bill others on his side of the aisle see as vital to the very future of the Republican Party. If that sounds familiar to the immigration rights advocates who have been pressing an overhaul since 2006, it should. … In 2006, the dead-mackerel theory played out for the first time as Mr. Sessions helped churn an immigration bill written by the Capitol Hill titans Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and John McCain of Arizona into Senate chum. Advocates of the legislation — Republicans and Democrats — insist this time will be different. …

-- “But in Mr. Sessions, they face an opponent with experience, one who reminds his staff every day that passage of immigration legislation was supposed to be inevitable in 2006 as well, and even more so in 2007. His tactics are the same as they were back then: organize the opposition, break down the bill section by section, raise questions over every aspect of it, slow progress on the floor to a crawl through procedural objections and a flurry of amendments, and hope that in the light of day a conservative backlash will crush final passage.” http://nyti.ms/11Wuwwj

-- THE RESIGNATION OF ICE DIRECTOR JOHN MORTON on Monday “opened up the possibility of a Senate confirmation hearing for his successor that could become a report card on the Obama administration’s enforcement efforts amid the tense debate in Congress over legislation to overhaul the immigration system,” writes the NYT’s Julia Preston. http://nyti.ms/11IJBxj

CHEAT SHEET: The Hispanic Leadership Network and American Action Forum has published a Hill staffers’ guide to the immigration reform debate titled “Translating Immigration Reform: A Layman’s Guide.” Read it here: http://bit.ly/16dzjtz

ABOUT LAST NIGHT … 170 of you turned out for the inaugural Huddle Happy Hour at Hill Country Barbecue. Thanks to our POLITICO Events team and our sponsor, the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Among those spotted last night: Past Huddle trivia champs Tom Flanagin, Jim Brewer, Claude Marx and Marda Robillard; NBWA President and CEO Craig Purser; Ex-Im Bank Chief of Staff Scott Mulhauser; Nitya Menon of the Embassy of Singapore; Hill communicators Nick Simpson, Meaghan Smith, Sabrina Singh and Sarah Rothschild; communications adviser Michael Hardaway; the Air Force Sergeants Association’s David Popp and Morgan Brown; Thad Inge of the Small Business Administration; and many of my POLITICO colleagues. Stay tuned for an announcement about the next Huddle Happy Hour.

MOVIN’ ON UP -- David Mork has been promoted to chief of staff for Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), having started out in politics as Roskam’s driver during his first campaign in 2006. He went on to serve as Roskam’s legislative assistant, legislative director and deputy chief of staff, managing Roskam’s personal office and policy operation in his most recent role. Mork, a former intern for former Speaker Dennis Hastert, is a native of Wheaton, Ill., and graduated from Notre Dame.

WHO’S THE WEALTHIEST IN HOUSE LEADERSHIP? – Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan report for the hometown paper: “Eric Cantor and Nancy Pelosi are once again the two wealthiest members of the House leadership, according to just released financial disclosure reports for all members. Cantor saw his minimum personal wealth rise slightly to nearly $4.4 million in 2012, and Pelosi is worth at least $24.4 million, according to their annual reports. House Speaker John Boehner is also a millionaire, with minimum net worth of roughly $1.9 million. Not all members of leadership are rolling in dough, however. Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) reported assets are between $78,000 and $296,000 – but he has a mortgage of at least $100,000 on his house in California. McCarthy’s Democratic counterpart, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), reported between $15,000 and $50,000 in assets. Hoyer did not report any liabilities….

-- “The disclosures show that Paul Pelosi, the husband of the minority leader, has been shelling out millions of dollars for the United Football League, which last played a game in 2012. Paul Pelosi has put between $10 million and $50 million into the United Football League and its Sacramento team, the Mountain Lions, the disclosure records show. In2012, Pelosi dumped between $4.36 million and $9.45 million into the project. That comes on top of the nearly $2.9 million he spent on the UFL and his California team in 2011. The UFL suspended its operation in the middle of last season. Yet many of the Pelosis’ investments are quite successful. They earned between $50,000 and $100,000 on grape sales from their home and vineyard in St. Helena, Calif. The couple raked in as much as $1 million in rent from a four-story commercial building in San Francisco, and the same amount from Auberge du Soleil, a high-end resort in Rutherford, Calif., in which they have they an ownership stake.” http://politi.co/11tzWMl

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GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, JUNE 18, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don't already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

My new followers include @TylerMJones and @tinadaunt.

TODAY IN CONGRESS – The House meets at 10 a.m. with first votes expected between and 3 and 3:30 p.m. and last votes between 6 and 7 p.m. on several bills considered under suspension of the rules: the International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act; a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code to include vaccines against seasonal flu within the definition of taxable vaccines; and a bill to direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan at the triennial International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly. The House will also begin debate on the farm bill and the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

The Senate is also in at 10 a.m. and will recess from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. for weekly party caucus lunches. The Senate will hold votes at 3 p.m. on several amendments to the immigration reform bill offered by Sens. John Thune, Mary Landrieu, David Vitter and Jon Tester.

AROUND THE HILL – House Speaker John Boehner and other GOP leaders hold a post-conference media availability at 10 a.m. in the RNC lobby. Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra and Vice Chairman Joe Crowley hold a post-meeting availability at 10 a.m. at the HVC-210 alcove. Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer holds a pen-and-pad briefing at 11 a.m. in H-144. Reps. Steven Daines, Thomas Massie, Ron DeSantis and John Fleming, and Sen. Rand Paul speak in opposition to the Marketplace Fairness Act at 11 a.m. at the House Triangle. Sen. Mazie Hirono rallies immigrant women and women leaders for fairness in the immigration system at 11 a.m. at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, 201 4th St. SE.

Rep. Louise Slaughter and the Pro-Choice Caucus speak on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act at 11:30 a.m. in HVC Studio. A. Sens. Jon Tester and Tom Udall speak on constitutional amendments to fix the election system at noon in the Senate Studio. Sen. Jeff Flake speaks at a Cato Institute briefing on free trade and free markets at noon in Russell 385. Also at noon, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and David Boies, co-counsel in Hollingsworth v. Perry, speak at a Third Way event: “An Important Discussion on Marriage for Gay Couples in the Supreme Court,” at Union Station’s Columbus Room. http://bit.ly/17fJfqQ

Reps. Luis Gutierrez, Xavier Becerra and others speak on immigration reform at 1 p.m. in the House Triangle. Rep. Chris Van Hollen discusses “Money in 2012 Election and Beyond,” hosted by the Brennan Center, at 4:15 p.m. at the National Press Club.

THE ROGERS REPORT: W.H. THREATENS TO VETO FARM BILL – “The White House warned Monday that it would veto the House farm bill as it now stands and signaled strongly that the fastest path to some compromise this summer would be by taking savings from crop insurance to offset Republican-backed cuts from food stamps,” POLITICO’s David Rogers reports. “The most severe of the food-stamp savings would come from reimposing tighter income limits and an outdated asset test that could force more than 2 million beneficiaries off the rolls. The estimated savings are $11.5 billion over the next 10 years, and the administration made note that its own crop insurance reforms could save an almost equal sum, $11.7 billion. The release of the White House statement came as Democrats are slated to caucus Tuesday morning with the farm bill on the agenda. The House Agriculture Committee leadership hopes to win what could be a close vote on final passage, but this still relies on getting close to 50 Democratic votes, given the number of defections on the right in the GOP.

-- “Navigating through this week will be difficult, then. The administration’s statement seemed designed to serve two purposes: put down a veto marker that will give liberal Democrats some comfort but at the same time try to keep the process moving into conference with the Senate.” http://politi.co/11u1l0t

-- HOUSE CONSERVATIVES ARE LOOKING TO SCUTTLE THE FARM BILL, The Wall Street Journal’s Patrick O’Connor reports: “Top Republicans are confident they will muster the votes necessary to pass the bill, which would authorize $940 billion in spending over 10 years. But doing so would require Democratic support. The challenge presents House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) with another tactical headache in a year defined by intra-party bickering. Conservative objections range from the money set aside for food stamp programs, which they believe aren't taking big enough spending cuts, to price protections for specific agricultural goods, including peanuts, rice and milk. One group of vocal opponents has hoped to split the bill in two by separating farm policy from the food-stamp programs. …

-- “Americans for Prosperity launched a campaign during the weekend asking a segment of its more than 2 million members to pressure lawmakers in 15 House districts—including Mr. Boehner—to oppose the bill. The group will hold a conference call with its members later this week to encourage them to hound their congressional representatives. The group says more than 10,000 people are expected on the call.” http://on.wsj.com/14HKwmM

New York Times, A1, “G.O.P. Pushes New Abortion Limits to Appease Vocal Base,” By Jeremy W. Peters: “After Republicans lost the presidential election and seats in both the House and the Senate last year, many in the party offered a stern admonishment: If we want to broaden our appeal, steer clear of divisive social and cultural issues. Yet after the high-profile murder trial of an abortion doctor in Philadelphia this spring, many Republicans in Washington and in state capitals across the country seem eager to reopen the emotional fight over a woman’s right to end a pregnancy. Their efforts will move to the forefront on Tuesday when House Republicans plan to bring to the floor a measure that would prohibit the procedure after 22 weeks of pregnancy — the most restrictive abortion bill to come to a vote in either chamber in a decade. The bill stands no chance of becoming law, with Democrats in control of the Senate and the White House. Republican leaders acknowledge that its purpose is to satisfy vocal elements of their base who have renewed a push for greater restrictions on reproductive rights, even if those issues harmed the party’s reputation with women in 2012.” http://nyti.ms/12SELFb

DOCTOR-TURNED-AIDE SAVES POE’S LIFE – Jonathan Strong writes for the National Review: “Thursday night at the Capitol Hill Club, Representative Ted Poe had a scary choking incident and was thankfully aided by a doctor-turned-GOP-aide, Nick Muzin, who may have saved his life. Poe was eating dinner alone downstairs at the Club’s Grill when he began choking on a piece of popcorn. Representative Matt Salmon and an unnamed lobbyist both tried to dislodge the food with the Heimlich maneuver, but were unsuccessful. Poe was not able to breathe, and Salmon and the lobbyist called 9-1-1 and began to shout for a doctor. Several minutes had elapsed, and the situation was quite serious, witnesses said. Muzin, coalitions director for the House Republican Conference and also a physician who keeps his medical license active and sometimes practices, rushed over to help.

-- “He delivered the Heimlich maneuver, which has to be administered at just the right position and in an upward thrusting manner, helping dislodge the food. Poe began breathing again and regained his composure, staying to finish his meal. Afterwards he joked to aides that he choked upon learning the score of the congressional baseball game, in which Democrats defeated the Republicans by a score of 22–0.” http://bit.ly/17VqXuA

ALL EYES ON SCHWEITZER – Cameron Joseph reports for The Hill: “Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) has frozen Montana’s Senate race with his refusal to rush a decision on a bid — and he seems to like it just fine that way.?? … Democrats view Schweitzer as their best chance, by far, of winning the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.). Republicans feel the same way. And some potential candidates may be waiting to see what Schweitzer decides before making their own decisions. Schweitzer joked to The Hill that he should switch his cellphone’s ringback tone from the country song ‘People are Crazy’ to save himself time dealing with reporters…‘I was thinking of changing mine to ‘Maybe, Baby.’ You know, that song from that Canadian girl. Nothing’s changed in Montana.’ Schweitzer seemed to be referring to Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit ‘Call Me Maybe.’

-- “Schweitzer’s uncertainty is rippling over the potential GOP field, where no new candidates have announced a bid since Baucus announced his retirement. Republicans in Montana and D.C. say that Rep. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is the Republican giving the race the most consideration and that he’s firmly undecided, keeping an eye on what Schweitzer does.” http://bit.ly/10tv8eH

MONDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – Matthew Shapanka, who’s attending Harvard Law, was first to correctly answer that North Carolina Rep. Claude Kitchin was the first person to select an office in the first-ever congressional office building (later named after Joseph Cannon). He did so in 1908.

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Matthew Shapanka has today’s question: The Secret Service protects the president both on American soil and when he’s traveling abroad. During which administration did the Secret Service begin protecting the president full-time and how many agents were first assigned to the president’s detail? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/

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Authors:

About The Author

Scott Wong covers transportation for POLITICO Pro, and authors The Huddle, POLITICO’s popular morning tipsheet on Congress. He was a congressional reporter with the publication from 2010 to 2012.

He reported from Tucson, Ariz., after the deadly shooting rampage that severely injured Rep. Gabby Giffords and helped break a story about Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill’s private plane that led to her admission she owed more than $300,000 in state property taxes.

He got his professional start in journalism covering local government for two small newspapers in his native San Francisco Bay Area. He later became a staff writer for The Arizona Republic, where he covered the Arizona statehouse and Phoenix City Hall.

After graduating from UCLA, he spent a year teaching English in a rural mountain village in Japan. He is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association, and lives with his wife and daughter in Washington.